Well, I thought of some more ways to reduce consumption…but you might not like them.

This list will challenge you to rethink your lifestyle, hygiene, and potentially your reputation.

I am not a dirty person by any means, but over the past few years I have relaxed my standards of cleanliness.

We are so used to hearing that “cleanliness is next to godliness,” but I just don’t think that’s true. And the consequences of working toward god-like levels of cleanliness is usually increased consumption of resources and increased waste.

So, I thought about some of the adjustments I have made over the years in order to incrementally decrease my personal resource consumption and therefore decrease overall waste.

I also thought about some of the things my husband does that I originally thought were gross, until I realized that his actions also reduce resource consumption and waste. Proof that even us natural born tree-huggers can be short-sighted at times.

I hope you enjoy this list and find it more useful than disgusting.

Please consider each option with an open mind before placing harsh judgment upon it. You may even do many of these already without realizing it.

1. Don’t wash your clothes after each use.

For example, give pants and shorts at least 5 good wears, (unless you sit on some marinara sauce) or only wash them once per month. And try to wear dirty clothes when you work out. You’re just going to sweat through them anyways.

Of course, do the world a favor and give your used clothes a solid sniff-test first; but, consider relaxing your standards of cleanliness when it comes to clothes.

2. Use your dirty clothes as dust rags.

I once watched my hubs take off one of his favorite t-shirts, fold it up, then use it to wipe the dust off the coffee table. I gasped.

“How could he disrespect his favorite shirt like that?” I wondered. But then I realized that since he was just going to throw it in the wash machine anyways, he was actually being very resourceful.

As an alternative, you can use old torn t-shirts, underwears, socks, and other worn fabrics as designated dust cloths. I learned that from my mom. (I’ll never forget during my childhood chores when the dust cloth I had been using dropped to the floor, only to reveal its true self to me – it was a chunk of my father’s pit-stained undershirt. Better than his underwear, though.)

3. Don’t use hot or warm water for your laundry.

Is it really necessary to use anything other than cold water to wash your clothes?

Occasionally, when a load of towels is really dirty or really stinky, I might use a warm/cold cycle to make sure all the ick gets off. But for normal loads, I only use cold and never have any problems.

If clothes are stained or exceptionally stinky, do some pretreatment on the stain or soak the clothes in the machine with detergent for 10 minutes prior to running the cold cycle.

4. Don’t shower every day.

Or at least don’t wash your hair or shave in the shower every day.

If you work at a job where you get completely ick-a-fied every day, you’re off the hook. Also, if you workout every day, please have a decent rinse to get all that sweat off.

If you have to shower each and every single day of your life, consider what I like to call a “quick rinse.”

A “quick rinse” is exactly what it sounds like. You hop in the shower, rinse all the ick off your skin, then hop back out. This should take 2-3 minutes tops.

The main idea is to reduce the amount of time the water is running in your shower. Whether you reduce the amount of time during each shower or the frequency at which your shower is up to you.

5. Don’t use soap in the shower.

Okay, I can’t really explain this one in a few sentences. Please refer to my article, I Haven’t Used Soap In Two Months And Look What It’s Done To Me (article pending, stay tuned).

Soap is good when you’re dirty – like when you have actual dirt on your skin – or when you’ve been around sick people.

Anyone who works at a doctor’s office, hospital, or clinic should use soap everyday to protect their health and their family’s health. Same goes for elementary school teachers, preschool teachers, and daycare teachers.

Essentially, if you have a job where you are exposed to lots of filth or germs, use that soap in your warm shower when you get home.

But on days when you’re not exposed to filth and germs and on days when you’re not doing much, why use soap? It just dries out your skin and exposes you to unnecessary chemicals. Just think about it…

6. If it’s yellow, let it mellow.

The hubs and I agree – there is absolutely no need to flush after every number 1. Number 2 does require a flush (we’re trying to maintain some level of romance in our marriage here).

I really appreciate my husband’s steadfastness in this principle.

When we have guests stay out our place, we all share one bathroom. During this time, I tend to flush after each use so that our guests don’t feel uncomfortable or get grossed out.

But the hubs? No. He stays true to his principles. And I really, really appreciate that.

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Meet Rachael

Hi there, I'm Rachael. I created this website to share what I learn about life and love so that you might benefit. Feel free to visit anytime you're feeling down or confused. I don't have all the answers, but I'll certainly help you find some peace of mind and remind you that you already have everything you need to be happy. Please email me if you have specific concerns or are interested in contributing. Be well!